A civil lawsuit filed after a wrong-way crash on the Harbor Bridge that killed two people and injured another in November 2022 has been settled.
The lawsuit was filed against Roxanne Palacios, who caused the crash, previous employer Flatiron-Dragados LLC, and Railroad Seafood and Brewing Company, where Palacios had been drinking before the accident.
The November 2, 2022, crash killed San Patricio County dispatcher Betsy Mandujano and Navy veteran Mathew Banda. A third driver, Janell Donaho, suffered a fractured ankle.
Attorney Matt Manning, one of several attorneys representing Christina Banda, declined to comment on the settlement or disclose details of the settlement.
According to police reports and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission documents, Palacios was traveling north in the southbound lanes of US Highway 181 when she struck the victims' vehicle head-on. Donaho then hit Palacios's vehicle after it spun out of control.
Palacios, a former DBE Manager for construction company Flatiron-Dragados, had been attending a company party at Railroad Seafood celebrating the resumption of work on the new Harbor Bridge project. TABC surveillance video showed her consuming eight drinks between 3:13 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
A preliminary breath test revealed Palacios had a blood alcohol content of 0.223, nearly three times the legal limit. A blood test two hours later registered 0.154 BAC, still nearly twice the legal limit.
Lawsuits filed alleged that Flatiron-Dragados provided alcoholic beverage vouchers at the company event and that Railroad Seafood continued serving Palacios despite her visible intoxication.
According to court documents, fellow employees had told Palacios to hand over her keys after observing she was "obviously heavily intoxicated," but restaurant staff did not intervene.
The TABC issued two violations to Railroad Seafood for serving drinks to an intoxicated person and conduct that led to excessive drinking.
Criminal Case Resolved
Palacios pleaded guilty in April 2025 to two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault. She was sentenced to seven years on each count, to run concurrently, with credit for time served. The victims' families agreed to the plea deal.
Impact on Harbor Bridge Safety
The fatal crash prompted a KRIS 6 News investigation that revealed at least eight people had died from wrong-way crashes on the Harbor Bridge between 2015 and 2022. Portland Police reported responding to about ten wrong-way driver calls annually on the bridge.
The investigation led to significant safety changes:
- In March 2023, Governor Greg Abbott called TxDOT's initial safety efforts "inadequate" and demanded urgent action
- A Wrong-Way Task Force was established
- The Power Street and Padre Street exits were permanently closed
- DPS stationed troopers at the remaining exit 24/7
- By December 2024, DPS had stopped 21 wrong-way drivers over 21 months
"The situation is extraordinarily dangerous and the danger is not acceptable," Abbott said in a March 2023 interview with KRIS 6 News.
